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Michael Cohen's lawyer says his client would testify to Congress about Trump without immunity

Posted: 6:54 AM, Aug 22, 2018

Updated:2018-08-22 13:54:29Z

By:
CNN

Michael Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, said Wednesday that he believes his client is willing to testify before any congressional committee without being granted immunity.

"Yes, I believe I can say that," Davis told CNN's John Berman on "New Day." "I have not specifically asked my client that question, but I'm stating my belief that the answer to that question is yes," Davis clarified.

Cohen pleaded guilty
in Manhattan federal court Tuesday to eight criminal counts, including campaign finance violations tied to his work for President Donald Trump during the 2016 election.

Following Cohen's plea deal, Sens. Richard Burr, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Mark Warner, the ranking member on the committee, offered a rare, joint statement
before reporters Tuesday, saying they had "re-engaged" with Cohen. Burr said the committee re-engaged "following press reports that suggested he had advance knowledge of the June 2016 meeting between campaign officials and Russian lawyers at Trump Tower."

Davis also told "New Day" on Tuesday that Cohen will not seek a pardon from Trump.

In his guilty plea, Cohen directly implicated the President, saying that he kept information that would have harmed Trump from becoming public during the 2016 election cycle "in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office."

The counts against Cohen included tax fraud, false statements to a bank and campaign finance violations tied to his work for Trump, including payments Cohen made or helped orchestrate that were designed to silence women who claimed affairs with the then-candidate.